This invention relates to a printing apparatus such as a typewriter and an independent printer, and more particularly to a printing apparatus which is operated based upon printing data stored in a recording medium such as a floppy disc.
Conventionally, in order to store printing data prepared by operating the keys on, for instance, a typewriter onto a recording medium such as a floppy disc and to carry out the printing in accordance with the data stored in the recording medium, it has been necessary to dispose the external memory unit such as a disc drive unit side by side with the printing apparatus and connect therebetween with a cable and so on.
Under the above conditions, however, since the memory unit has been constructed as a separate unit from the printing apparatus, there have been problems since the system as a whole becomes bulky and accordingly a relatively large space is required to accommodate them during use thereof, it becomes difficult to handle during transportation thereof, and that the connection and disconnection of the cable are troublesome.
In this connection, there has been proposed a type of office typewriters where the memory unit is incorporated in the main body at the rear side thereof so that the memory unit may not with various operations of the printing mechanisms of the typewriter. In the case of such type apparatus, however, such problems have then arisen that the typewriter becomes voluminous due to the increase in the volume corresponding to the incorporated memory unit, and that, because the memory unit is located at the rear side of a main body, loading and unloading of the recording medium into and out of the memory unit are difficult.